Museums Without Walls
My family has simple pleasures: history, travel, art and photography. You can understand our love of waymarking.
Waymarking is an activity where people locate and log interesting locations around the world, usually with a GPS receiver and a digital camera. ~ Wikipedia
One of our favorite categories is cemeteries. Now, we aren't morbid. Instead, we appreciate the original purpose of the cemetery: a peaceful park, away from the bustle of the city, to perambulate, to visit with family, and honor the deceased.
Cemeteries were once considered "museums without walls" with some of the most beautiful monuments and parks created during America's Golden Age. Cemeteries were also the foundation for our National Park System.
As a former military wife, we have explored Civil War battle & burial grounds, New England parks filled with patriots and poets, and Old West burial grounds with their fabulous epitaphs.
In celebration of Halloween, I thought I'd share some of my favorite local cemeteries and headstones from Southeastern Michigan.
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| Mausoleum door ornamentation |
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| Mausoleum Door |
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| More doors |
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| Dodge Brothers Mausoleums |
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| Tree headstones are VERY popular in SE Michigan |
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| Joyous Duck in Oakwood Cemetery, Farmington |
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| Zinc headstones (also called "white bronze") were mass produced for about 40 years (1870-1910ish). They glow light blue, have raised lettering, and the side panels could be installed at will. They were produced in Detroit and Chicago. |
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| Must visit the fallen heroes. |
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| Another zinc stone |
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| Someone added an ad to this zinc headstone! |
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| Protected grave of Henry Ford. The grill is called a "mortsafe". His wife (not pictured) is buried next to him in an identical grave). |
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| You can see an additional mausoleum and monument, in the background, across Willow Lake. |
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| Willow Lake in Woodlawn Cemetery |
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| If you peek in the mausoleums in Woodlawn Cemetery, you can see some amazing stainglass. |
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| Can't have Ford and Dodge without adding Buick, in the Motor City! |
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A tree stump normally signifies the person died young (or "in their prime").
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Hope you found this interesting. Happy Halloween!
Elisa
